Another Life
by 88SymmetryIsBeauty88
Summary: Grover, Percy and Piper head to a Motel 6 in Albany, where four demigods are staying. Said demigods turn out to be Chloe, Simon, Derek and Tori. How will they react when they're told they're children of the gods? -ON HIATUS-
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys, 'sup? anyway, here's my first DP/PJ crossover, soo don't hate me if it turns out bad! set a little after The Son of Neptune and The Mark of Athena's events haven't happened yet, and after The Reckoning. i'd luv 2 c ur comments, so if u don't mind, just type up a little review and click the button ! thanks xD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers or Percy Jackson. :'(**

* * *

_Chapter One __Percy's POV_

I landed on the soft earth near the pegasi stables, Blackjack's hooves thumping underneath.

_Yo, boss. How 'bout those sugar cubes now? _

I smiled. "Yeah, I'll make sure to get you some later."

Blackjack whinnied in protest. _You said after the ride, boss!_

"I didn't say when, though," I retaliated.

He snorted and stamped at the ground. _Come on, boss. Every pegasus needs his sugar cubes. _

I chuckled softly, dug into my pocket and gave Blackjack four or five sugar cubes.

He crunched them down. _Mm! Good stuff, boss!_

"Uh-huh. I'll see you later, have a job to do," I said. He neighed and soared away.

I made my way to the Big House, and saw Chiron and Mr. D playing pinochle on the porch.

Chiron is the activities director at Camp Half-Blood. He's really a centaur, his horse half being a white palomino. Today he stood in full centaur form, his normally scraggly beard longer than usual.

Mr. D is our camp director. The 'D' in his name stands for Dionysus, Greek god of wine. He's wearing his usual loud and unflattering jogger's getup.

"Hello, Percy," Chiron greeted me.

Dionysus waved a hand lazily. "Peter Johnson."

I bit back a nasty retort. You'd think after over five years at camp, he'd have bothered to learn my name.

"You wanted to see me?" I said instead.

Chiron nodded. "I need you to go to a Motel 6 in Albany to transport a few demigods with Grover's assistance."

"Which Motel 6?" I asked.

"Blackjack will know," Chiron answered mysteriously. "I suggest you take Piper with you, she has a way with words. She should be in an archery lesson now, I believe."

I gave a short nod. "I'll head out."

"Oh, and Peter?" Mr. D called me back. "Do try not to get killed; Zeus will have me for that."

"Yes, sir."

I went back to my cabin and scooped up a few golden drachmas lying around. After I put my pen/sword, Riptide, in my pocket and left the cabin, I headed to the archery station.

"Piper!" I called.

She turned and saw me. "Hey, Percy!"

I beckoned her over. "Fly Situation." That was the code we made up for demigods that needed to be picked up. She nodded and whistled for her pegasus of choice, Guido, while I whistled for Blackjack.

I saw the dark figure of my pegasus against the blue sky, hooves galloping in the air. He landed in front of me with a grunt.

_Called, boss? _He snorted.

"On a mission," I answered. "Motel 6 in Albany. Chiron said you'd know which one?"

Blackjack tossed his head. _Oh, that one. Yeah, I'll take you to the right one. Now, are ya comin' or what? _

* * *

After about three hours of flying (which develops a serious case of an aching backside) we touched down behind the motel. Blackjack and Guido just about collapsed, and I dragged a big black dumpster in front of them so they wouldn't be seen.

"I'll be back soon," I told them both. "I'll get you guys apples and, uh, sugar cubes when we get back to camp."

Piper and I rounded to the front of the motel and found Grover walking down the sidewalk.

"Perrrcy!" he bleated. "Piper!" Did I tell you he's a satyr? Yeah, half goat, half human. Just don't call him half donkey. That'll get him miffed.

"Hey, man," I answered.

"Hi, Grover!" Piper said.

He walked (or, galloped?) up to us, and we walked through the front door. I lowered my voice. "How many?"

"Four," he said.

I did a double take. "Four?"

He nodded. "Not sure who their godly parent is, yet. We've just got to take them to camp before any monsters come."

"What floor?" I asked.

Grover held up two fingers.

"Room?"

He mouthed, _103._

We took the elevator up, and approached Room 103. I knocked on the door, loud and clear.

A girl who was probably five feet tall opened the door. She had black hair that was probably dyed (don't ask how I know. I just do) and sky-blue eyes.

"Hello," she said. "Can I help you?"

"Um, yeah," I answered, shifting from one foot to the other. How was I supposed to tell this girl and her friends that they were demigods? I looked at Grover for some help. He ! #$%^&* his head, meaning, _Just tell it how it is. _"I'm Percy, and these are my friends, Grover and Piper. Um, well, this could take some explaining. Can we come in? This might be a while."

I held up both my hands to say I meant no harm, and didn't have any weapons. After some hesitation, the girl let us in.

The motel room was small, and three teenagers were gathered around the first room. Two guys and a girl. The girl had short, dark hair, and glanced at me and Grover when we walked in.

One of the guys looked Asian, and had dark blond hair that stood up in spikes. The other guy was huge, had black hair that hung loosely and bright, green eyes. Kind of like mine, though my eyes were more like the sea.

The Asian-blond dude flashed a grin, while the guy with green eyes looked at me suspiciously. The girl with the short hair just kept watching TV.

"Guys?" the girl who'd opened the door for us spoke. "This is Percy, Grover and Piper." I raised a hand in greeting and Grover waved awkwardly, while Piper smiled.

She turned to me. "I'm Chloe, and this is Simon" - she gestured to the Asian-blond dude - "Derek," - she motioned to Green Eyes - "and Tori." The girl with short black hair nodded.

"So," Chloe said. "Y-you said wh-whatever you n-n-needed could take s-some explaining?"

"Yeah," I said. They all had looks of anticipation in their faces. "You guys are like us. You're one of us." Great, that'll make sense to them!

Their expressions relaxed, though, which I found kind of strange.

The blond dude, Simon, spoke up. "You're supernaturals too?"

That caught me off guard. "Super - what?"

"Oh, um, never mind," Simon said.

"I meant to say you guys are half-bloods," I said.

Tori scowled at me. "Is that some kind of cruel joke?"

"What? No!" I was getting a little frustrated. "You're _demigods_. Half-god, half-mortal. You're children of the gods."

Chloe looked at me, like I had some mental problem. I'm pretty sure I sounded like I did. "We're all children of God."

"Not capital 'G', God!" I said, though that was true too, I guess. "Lowercase 'g', god. Plural, gods. The Olympians. The Greek gods."

"Uh-huh," Tori said. "Like I'm going to believe that."

"It's true!" I said, sending Grover a pleading look. He looked as helpless as I felt. "How can I prove it to you?"

"Who's your god parent?" the big guy, Derek, asked.

"Poseidon," I answered, automatically.

"Prove it," Tori snapped.

I sighed. "I can control the water, stay dry in water, and breathe in water."

"Prove it," Tori repeated, impatient.

"How?" I spat back. "Want me to jump into the motel pool and stay dry?"

"Actually, yeah," Derek rumbled.

I rolled my eyes. "We're on a tight schedule, here."

"Look," Piper said, putting some charmspeak into her voice. "Just come with us to our camp, and we'll explain everything. _Promise._"

Tori, Simon, and Chloe looked affected by the charm, and agreed readily. Derek seemed only a little fazed, but still agreed to come.

Simon said he had to tell his dad he was going out, and might not be back for a while. He joined us on our way out a little later.

I led them to the back of the motel, to where Blackjack and Guido seemed to have rested. I dragged away the dumpster and the four new demigods gaped. Well, Simon, Chloe, and Tori gaped, and Derek seemed to hide his surprise better.

"A-are those - ?" Chloe stuttered.

"Yeah," I said, pleased. "This is Blackjack, my pegasus. That's Guido," I added, gesturing.

"We're going to ride them?" Tori said, skeptically.

I nodded. "Who wants to ride on Blackjack with me?"

Tori shrugged and said, "I will."

"Who wants to ride with me?" Piper asked.

Simon raised his hand. "I'd like to."

Piper nodded. "Okay."

Grover, Chloe and Derek still needed pegasi. I whistled for the Porkpie and another pegasus named Silika. They came galloping and greeted me.

"Chloe, Derek, you two can ride on Porkpie," I said. "Don't worry, just hold on and make sure you don't fall off. Grover, you take Silika. Uh, good luck with that."

I mounted Blackjack and helped Tori up. Derek and Chloe awkwardly got on their pegasus and Piper helped Simon get on.

"Blackjack, to Camp Half-Blood," I said.

He whinnied. _All the way back, boss?_

"Yes," I answered. "Hey, I promised you apples and sugar cubes, didn't I?"

Blackjack snorted. _Guess so. Ready for lift off? _

"In a sec," I replied.

"You talk to horses?" Tori smirked behind me.

"Yeah, it's a Poseidon thing," I told her. I turned to everyone else. "Ready, guys?"

They nodded, but Chloe looked unsure. "Don't worry," I told her. "All you need to do is hold on and he'll just follow us."

That seemed to calm her down.

"Let's go!" the pegasi kicked off and we were soaring through the skies on our way to Manhattan.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: soo, just to make things clear, even though Mark of Athena hasn't happened yet, Percy, Annabeth, Tyson, Grover, Piper, Jason, Leo, Hazel and Frank have met already. well, yeah. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own either of these stories i'm writing about. **

* * *

_Chapter Two_

You know what sucks? Monsters. One minute you're enjoying a pegasus flight, the next, some monster gets all up in your face trying to kill you.

The sun decided to hide behind the clouds, so it was a little chilly. Chloe seemed to get more comfortable on her pegasus as we flew, muscles relaxing while Porkpie obediently followed me and Piper, though he sometimes got off track.

Piper was having a great time with Simon. They were telling stories while they flew, getting to know each other on the way to Camp. I overheard him explaining why he looked Asian but had blond hair (apparently the dude's mom was Swedish).

Tori wasn't talking much, which was completely fine with me. She just leaned on my back with her arms around my waist, which was more than a little uncomfortable.

We'd been flying for about an hour when Grover said he smelled monsters. Great. Just great.

I began to descend slowly and was about to suggest landing when an arrow went whizzing by my head. I looked at the ground and saw two - no, three - _dracaenae _and a hellhound. Fantastic.

"Land!" I yelled. "Follow me!"

I steered Blackjack into a nosedive, and we plummeted towards the earth. Tori shrieked when another arrow shot past us and held onto me tighter.

I pulled Blackjack out of the dive and we landed on the ground. Tori and I dismounted, and I uncapped Riptide. The sword expanded to its three feet of deadly Celestial bronze.

Tori gaped. "Is that - "

"No time," I said. "Just do whatever you can to kill those things."

One of the _dracaenae_ slithered towards me on her snake legs, drawing her two swords.

"Perseus Jacksssson," she hissed. "I ssssssshall have your blood!"

She lunged at me, swords flashing. From my dip in the Styx, I was still invulnerable except for a small spot in the small of my back. I parried the snake-lady's strike and stabbed her in a chink in her armor. She wailed and erupted into a column of dust raining down on us.

Tori was busy with the second snake monster, the one with the arrows. Those wouldn't help at close range, but I guessed this monster wasn't as bright as the others.

Tori raised her hands and a ball of swirling energy formed between them. _What?_

She brought her hands down and the energy ball was thrown at the _dracaena_ and it disintegrated.

I looked over at Piper and Simon. Piper was wielding her dagger, _Katoptris, _and Simon was muttering words under his breath.

Suddenly the _dracaena _was knocked backwards by something invisible, I'm guessing. Piper flung her dagger at the monster, hitting it square between the eyes.

Derek and Chloe were working on the hellhound. I'm guessing they didn't know how to fight it. Well, they _were_ unequipped with Celestial bronze, and you can't really use your fists on one of those bad boys.

I charged the hound, and at the last second, felt that same hesitation I had in one of my previous battles. I gripped Riptide tighter. _This is not Mrs. O'Leary, _I told myself. I brought my sword down and the hellhound exploded into monster dust.

Chloe blinked. "W-what h-h-happened?"

"Monsters," I said, capping Riptide. "I'll explain at camp."

* * *

The pegasi touched down on Half-Blood Hill, and I slid off Blackjack. I helped Tori down and went over to help Chloe and Derek.

Porkpie was really restless the whole time, snorting and whinnying loudly. He had gotten off course way more than a few times, and was anxious as he waited for me to help the newcomers.

_Something's up, boss,_ said Porkpie. _Something ain't right with that big kid. _

_"_Relax, Porkpie," I told him. "You'll be in the stables soon."

I offered my hand to Chloe, and Derek cast me a glare. I stared right back, as if to say, _Dude, what's your problem? _

Derek dismounted by himself, and Porkpie made a beeline for the stables inside the boundaries.

"Okay," I said to the group. "We're on Half-Blood Hill right now. A little further and we'll reach camp."

Piper and I led them to the camp boundaries, where the dragon, Peleus, guarded the Golden Fleece on my friend, Thalia's, pine tree.

All the new demigods' eyes widened when they saw Peleus. That meant they could see through the Mist, the magical veil that covered monsters and other demigod stuff from mortals' eyes.

I led them through the magical boundaries, and they passed right through, which definitely meant they were half-bloods.

Their jaws dropped in shock and Chloe gasped.

I turned to them, grinning. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter was a little shorter than the last. I'll update soon, don't worry. **

**Please review.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

I took them on a tour, showing them the amphitheater, the lava climbing wall, the arena, the creek, the cabins, etc. Derek took it all in while Simon, Chloe and Tori asked questions.

"What's a demigod?"

"The child of a god and a mortal."

"What cabin is that? With the bloody boar's head?"

"The Ares cabin, the god of war."

"Why are there strawberry fields?"

"It's part of the camp's cover name. We're supposedly a strawberry farm."

It went on like this until I led them to the Big House, where Chiron stood in full centaur form. Chloe, Simon, Tori _and _Derek gaped.

He raised a hand in greeting. "Greetings, young demigods. My name is Chiron; I'll be your activities director during your stay at Camp Half-Blood. Might I ask your names?"

"I'm Simon," Simon said, seeming to recover the fastest.

Tori waved. "I'm Victoria, but I go by Tori, with an I. Please, please PLEASE don't call me Victoria."

Chiron smiled. "I'll remember that."

Tori bumped Chloe in the shoulder. She gave a sharp shake of the head and introduced herself. "I-I'm C-Chloe."

"Pleasure to meet you," Chiron said.

Derek introduced himself with a grunt.

"You'll be getting your camp schedules later at the campfire," I told them.

"What about our stuff?" Tori said.

"I'll send a harpy to pick up your bags," Chiron answered. "I take it they're still at the motel?"

She nodded.

"You shall be staying in the Hermes cabin until your godly parents claim you," said Chiron.

"So what do we do now?" Tori asked.

"Just stick with Percy," said Chiron. "Oh, and Percy, why don't you IM their guardians?"

"Um, okay," I sighed. "Well, follow me, I guess."

I decided to take them to my cabin so we could IM their parents first.

"S-so, when Chiron said you'd IM our g-guardians, you're going to message them o-on a computer?" Chloe asked.

I shook my head. "Nah. I think our kind of IM is way cooler."

We went into my cabin, where there was a new saltwater fountain. I guess a new one had appeared after I'd broken the old one.

The sun was almost starting to set, but there was still enough light for a rainbow. I scooped a golden drachma out of the water.

"_O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering._" I tossed the coin into the rainbow the fountain was making, and it disappeared.

I turned to Chloe. "Who do you want? And where?"

"L-L-Lauren F-Fellows," Chloe stuttered. "Albany."

I repeated this and the mist shimmered. An image of a middle-aged woman with light blond hair in a motel room appeared in the water.

"Aunt Lauren!" Chloe gasped. The woman - Lauren - turned and gasped too. She ran over to the image.

"Chloe, hon?" she said. "Is that you?"

Chloe nodded. "Yes. Derek, Simon, Tori and I a-are at this camp. Don't worry, Aunt Lauren. We're fine. We're p-protected here."

Lauren pursed her lips. "How long will you be there?"

Chloe looked at me. "It depends. We-we're d-d-demigods."

"Demigods?" Lauren scoffed. _Here we go again._ "You're supernaturals."

"A-apparently, we're both," Chloe said. "It's okay. We're safe here. Tell this to Kit, too, please."

Lauren sighed. "Alright. I trust you. I just.. I just don't want to lose you. Not again."

Chloe nodded. "I love you, Aunt Lauren."

"Love you too, Chloe."

The Iris-message disconnected.

"Whoa," Tori said. "What _was _that?"

"An Iris-message," I said. "Now come on."

I led them to the arena, where I practiced my sword-fighting.

"Oh," I said. "You'll need some weapons. Be right back."

I dashed off to the forges where a Hephaestus kid was finishing a couple of weapons.

"Hey, can I borrow four of those?" I asked.

"Maybe..." he said.

I flipped him two drachmas. "How about now?"

He nodded. "Take the two swords, the dagger and the spear."

I scooped them off the rack and jogged awkwardly to the arena, trying to not impale myself.

"Okay." I put down the weapons. "Who wants a sword?"

Simon grinned and took one. So did Tori.

"I've always wanted to try one of these," said Simon.

I turned to Chloe and Derek. "Which one of you wants the dagger?"

"U-um, I'll t-t-take i-it." Chloe stepped forward and grasped the dagger handle.

"So you get the spear." I handed the shaft to Derek.

I taught them a few basic moves. I'm not a very good teacher, but it was easier when I taught Simon and Tori with the swords. Annabeth would have been better with the dagger, but I knew some dagger fighting.

I didn't know that much spear combat, but I knew enough to stab, throw and block, so that's what I taught Derek.

We practiced on the dummies, and I told them about the weapons during a break.

"The weapons are made of Celestial bronze," I said. "It's special material mined from Mount Olympus. Monsters can't stand the touch of it, so they'll die on contact."

"What about people?" Simon asked.

"Celestial bronze passes right through mortals," I explained. "So our weapons won't hurt them. But for demigods, like us, we can be hurt with the bronze. Something about being part god."

We were about to keep practicing when I looked at my watch (not the magic one Tyson made, but I think he's making another one...) and noticed it was almost time for dinner.

I told them this and that we should hit the showers.

"What about our clothes?" Tori demanded.

I refrained from rolling my eyes. "Just reuse the ones you're wearing. You'll get your own clothes soon enough."

Tori made a face and the newcomers followed me to the showers in silence.

* * *

Just as we finished cleaning up, Chiron blew his conch horn, which meant it was time for dinner. (**A/N: Not sure if he actually does that..**)

I led Chloe, Derek, Simon and Tori to the mess hall [and explained the whole 'sacrifice food to the gods' thing] and showed them to the Hermes table. After that, I left to sit with Tyson at the Poseidon table.

Chiron gave his usual spiel and and we got up to sacrifice some of our food.

I went up to the brazier and scraped some of my pizza into the fire. "For Poseidon." The food burned away, leaving a trace of the smell of sea salt in the air.

Chiron trotted up to the new demigods at the Hermes table and handed them what looked like their camp schedules.

Just then, a purplish, wheel shaped symbol appeared floating over Simon _and _Tori's heads. I recognized that as the symbol of Hecate, goddess of magic.

Everyone gasped while Tori and Simon gaped at the glowing symbols above their heads.

"What was that thing?" Tori said immediately after the symbol disappeared.

"You've been claimed," Chiron answered. "Your mother is Hecate, goddess of magic."

* * *

**A/N: So, Tori and Simon got claimed! I need some help deciding Derek's godly parent. he can be mean-ish but also sweet, and he doesn't seem to necessarily _like _fighting, so he can't be a child of Ares, and... I'M STUCK ! would appreciate suggestions. **

**p.s. if this gets 5-10 reviews, i'll edit this and add a sneak peek of the next chapter ;)  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own either of these series.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Aw yeah, updating on Halloween xD anyway, really sorry i haven't updated in a while. i've been busy and working on my other stories. anyway, i'm sure you don't want to hear my excuses, so let's get on with chapter 4!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. (Sadly.) **

* * *

_Chapter Four_

Tori and Simon were shown to the Hecate table, leaving Derek and Chloe still unclaimed and at the Hermes table.

Chiron pounded his hoof on the floor, silencing everyone. "I would like to welcome our four new demigods to Camp Half-Blood: Tori, Simon, Derek and Chloe. I wish for you to treat them well. Carry on!"

I was about to dig in to my dinner when a shadow passed over my head. I turned and Nico di Angelo dropped out of the sky. Well, dropped out of the shadow.

Nico was wearing black jeans, a black shirt and his aviator's jacket. His silver skull ring glinted on his finger.

The new kids gaped at Nico's shadow-traveling, and I couldn't blame them.

Nico walked over to the Hades table, where he ate when he visited.

I took a bite of pizza when my friend, Rachel, plopped down on the bench next to me.

"Hey, Percy," she said. Her frizzy red hair was sticking out in all directions, and her jeans were covered in marker doodles. Rachel was the camp Oracle, which means she says the prophecies.

Now, I know you're probably wondering what Rachel's doing here, since she's supposed to be in that ladies' academy. Truth is, she went to school there for about two months, then ran away from home. She ended up coming to camp, and she's been living back in her special cave.

"Who are the new kids?" she asked, mouth full of hamburger.

"Two children of Hecate, two undetermined," I answered, my mouth equally full of pizza.

Rachel nodded. "Grover told me that one of them said something about supernaturals?"

"Yeah," I said. "What are supernaturals, anyway?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "A supernatural is someone with supernatural powers. Like a witch, or a vampire. That sort of stuff."

"So, you're saying... that one of the demigods is a vampire."

That earned me a smack on the head. "Ow!" I said, rubbing my skull. My invincibility had washed away when I went to Camp Jupiter, so I didn't have my Achilles spot anymore, which meant that everything started to hurt again.

"No, Kelp Head, it's just an example," she said.

I tried to find a mean nickname, but I figured "Prophecy Head" didn't cut it. I almost called her "Mummy Face" because of the old Oracle, but before I could, a silver owl - Athena's symbol - blazed over Derek's head at the Hermes table.

Confused muttering spread through the mess hall. Children of Athena never had dark hair, and never had anything except gray eyes.

Annabeth glanced over at my table and her eyes sent me a silent question: _What's going on? _

I shrugged and mouthed, _Just go with it. _

She nodded and waved Derek over to the Athena table. He stood up to move, but before he could, I saw Simon slip a piece of paper in his hand. Derek took it without question and made his way over to Annabeth's table, being greeted politely by his new cabin mates.

I made a mental note to keep an eye on the new demigods. I just knew they were hiding something.

* * *

That night, I couldn't sleep. Just couldn't. Tyson's snores made the whole cabin vibrate and the saltwater fountain gurgled peacefully in the corner.

But tonight, something kept nagging me at the back of my head, telling me something was wrong.

Eventually I got out of bed and made my way to Long Island Sound. I knew the harpies would eat you if they found you, but I dove straight into the water.

The saltwater calmed me the minute I went under. I swam around for a little while, collecting my thoughts.

I was about to come back up and head back to my cabin when I heard voices coming from the beach. Muffled voices, but I could still hear them, since they weren't doing a good job of staying quiet.

"Should we tell them we're supernaturals?" I heard someone say. In my head, I matched a voice with a face, and I found out Simon was talking.

"No," a gruff voice answered, which I immediately knew to be Derek's. "We don't know if we can trust them or not."

That hit me like a punch to the gut. Not trust us? The people in Camp Half-Blood were the most trustworthy people I know. Even the people who aren't so nice *ahem, Clarisse* were trustworthy. Except maybe the Stoll brothers, but the worst they could do is drop a nice Roman candle down your shirt. But, yes, you can trust everyone at camp.

"I think they can be trusted," Simon said. "They're giving us food, shelter and a helluva lot of other good stuff."

"I know," said a girl's voice. I recognized it as Chloe's. "I just don't want people to treat us differently because of what we are."

"Yeah," said Derek. "Give it time. We'll worry about it later."

They continued to talk, but their voices got softer, since they were probably walking back to their cabins. I got out of the water and made my way back to the cabin.

I lay in bed for hours, thinking about the conversation I'd overheard. So Rachel was right: the new demigods really were supernaturals.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it was a shorter chapter this time. I hope you like it anyway and please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I know I've been gone a crazy long time and i really hope you dont hate me for it.. anyway, i thought i would treat you guys to a nice long chapter update. [sorry i didn't post this the other day, i lost it when my internet got cut off] ENJOY!**

* * *

I woke up to the sunlight streaming in through the windows. I blinked sleepily and yawned. I looked up and saw Tyson dusting the window sill.

"Good morning, Percy!" he said.

"Morning, Tyson," I said groggily, my words slurring together slightly. I rolled out of bed and hit the floor hard on my shoulder. I winced and got up, rubbing sleep out of my eyes.

I pulled on jeans and an orange camp shirt and put away my pajamas. I fixed my sheets and pillows lazily and looked around the cabin.

"Everything's so clean..." I muttered.

Wait a minute.

_Cabin inspection. _

Why did I have to forget every single time?

I grabbed a broom and started sweeping the floor, though it was already swept. I went all OCD on my bed, straightening the sheets, fluffing the pillows, and rubbing out the creases in the blanket.

I polished the bowls that held the sea anemones and cleaned the door handle.

"Who's doing cabin inspection today?" I asked Tyson as I wiped down the walls.

"Ares," he replied.

I groaned. The Ares cabin had my camp enemy – Clarisse La Rue – in it. Everyone in that cabin hated my guts, so the most Tyson and I could do was hope for the best.

"Well," I said, putting the cleaning rag away. "I think we did a pretty good job."

The walls were spotless and the floor was candy-wrapper-free. The metal _hippocampi_ sculptures were newly polished, and reflected the light. Our beds were made and the cobwebs had been removed from the corners of the room. The windows were clear and the saltwater fountain had been scrubbed down.

"I think so too," Tyson agreed. "When cabin inspection is done, we can have peanut butter! And see Annabeth!"

I smiled. "Yeah, we can do that."

"Yay!" he clapped his hands together.

Just then, Erika, an Ares camper, appeared in the doorway, inspection scroll in hand. "Inspection time."

She walked in slowly and leisurely, as if this whole thing was boring her out of her mind (which it probably was), her long braid swinging and her combat boots thudding slightly on the floor.

Erika looked around the room, trying to come find something that she could reprimand us for. Luckily, she didn't find anything, so she straightened her bandanna and grudgingly said, "Four out of four," marking the inspection scroll. As she walked out, she glared daggers at me for no reason.

"Well, we made it through that," I sighed. "Now we can go to breakfa - "

"PEANUT BUTTER!" Tyson yelled and ran out the cabin.

* * *

The strangest things can happen in the morning. For instance, having a giant snail interrupt your breakfast.

Yup.

Not even kidding.

A giant snail.

I was eating blue Cheerios at the Poseidon table while Tyson ate his peanut butter when the air started to get this stench to it; like mud, motor oil and fart all mixed together. Let me tell you, it is not pleasant at all.

Everyone was looking around, searching for the source of the smell, but everything looked normal.

I think it's safe to say that looks can be quite deceiving.

The ground started to rumble slightly too. I saw Chloe, Derek, Simon and Tori looking at each other across the mess hall, exchanging nervous glances.

Right then, a few satyrs came running up, covered in slime.

"What is it?" Chiron asked.

A satyr wiped off his horns and said, "A giant snail!"

"Sorry?" said Chiron .

"A giant snail," repeated the satyr. "It's rampaging through the forest, trailing its goop everywhere and crushing trees!"

"I... see." The centaur stroked his beard. "Where in the forest?"

"The western side," supplied another satyr. "Near Zeus' Fist."

Chiron nodded. "Campers! Gather your weapons and meet at Zeus' Fist!"

I pulled Riptide out of my pocket and uncapped it, the pen transforming into a three-foot long Celestial bronze weapon.

I fought against the crowd of campers over to the new kids; I had to make sure they were prepared.

I found Tori and Simon with the rest of the Hecate cabin, both completely unarmed.

"Where are your weapons?" I said.

"Don't need any," Tori said. "We've got our own special ones."

I guessed they were talking about magic, but they needed more than that if the snail decided to come directly for them.

"At least take a knife or something," I tried.

Simon shook his head. "I think we're good."

Before I could say another word, he and Tori had left. I think Derek had a spear, but I didn't see it with him. He'd probably get a sword from a cabinmate and even if he didn't, I'm sure he'd be just fine.

As for Chloe... I should definitely check on her.

By now, the mess hall was nearly empty. Lucky for me, Chloe was one of the last people out, so I was able to catch up with her.

"You ready for your first monster?" I said.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, clutching a dagger in her hand. "J-just a l-l-little n-nervous, that's a-all."

"Don't worry, everyone's nervous for their first battle," I told her. "I was, anyway."

Chloe laughed anxiously.

"You'll do fine," I said. "Just don't let go of that thing, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

xxxxxxxxxxx

We caught up with everyone near Zeus' Fist, and the stench was worse than ever. I put a hand to my nose, but it didn't really help.

Almost the entire rankings of Camp Half-Blood were there, just for that one snail. There wasn't a need for all the campers, but I guess we all love a good battle to start off the day.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, yeah, you probably hate me for leaving the chapter at that. But don't worry, I'll update again tomorrow. I'll try and do updates every two days or so, and if I don't, please remind me, i have a bad memory. also, i'm thinking about changing my pen name (yet again) to either nightwalker or TheThinExecutioner. tell me what you think, about the name and the chapter. Please review! **


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